Fur flies over a diet fit for Cats

Five years after accusing a South African kitchenhand of poisoning the All Blacks on the eve of the World Cup final, Laurie Mains has uncovered another catering injustice.

The former All Black coach, now coach of the Cats, who went down 23-29 to the Hurricanes in a Super 12 match in Palmerston North on Saturday night, had no need of private detectives this time.

He just had to peek into the opposition changing room after the game.

What he discovered was too much for Mains, who invited a photographer and reporter to the Cats' room to record the injustice.

"Look at what they have given us and then look at what [the Hurricanes] have," Mains said, glaring at his players' simple fare of two jars of jellybeans, a container of cordial, some bottles of soft-drink and a plate of bread rolls.

Next door, oblivious to the mounting outrage, the Hurricanes were happily dining on pizza, sandwiches and jellybeans.

Mains decided not to wait to see what would be served at the official function, but took his players back to their hotel to eat.

Manawatu Rugby Football Union chief executive Allan Brown said the caterer had told him each team received what their doctor had requested.

But the Cats media liaison officer, Mains' wife, Annemarie, said the Cats arrived to find no food, "just a few bits and pieces thrown together."

The team doctor had then requested that the Cats be given what the Hurricanes had to eat, but at short notice that was not possible.

It was too late to get anything else, and because some players had not eaten since 3 pm, the team went back to the hotel.